Sri Lanka will host the November 15-17 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Photo: AFP

Beijing should allow Hong Kong to rejoin the Commonwealth, a British lawmaker campaigning for former colonial servicemen from the city to be given UK citizenship says.

Andrew Rosindell, a Conservative member of Parliament who chairs the all-party group on UK overseas territories, tabled a House of Commons motion in May calling for full British passports to be granted to all former members of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps and the Hong Kong Royal Naval Service.

Rosindell said he became involved in the work after being approached by the Campaign for Abandoned British-Chinese Soldiers Left in Hong Kong.

He agrees with the campaigners that it was unfair for the British government to give right of abode to just 500 former servicemen at the 1997 handover.

Citing his belief in the maintenance of close ties between Britain and its past and present overseas territories, he suggested Beijing allow Hong Kong to rejoin the Commonwealth - the 53-strong international grouping of countries with historic links to Britain.

The city left the organisation at the time of the handover.

Rosindell said Hong Kong retained close links with Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Singapore and had strong reasons to stay in the circle.

"Hong Kong is a shining example of success in so many ways," Rosindell said.

"That was built on foundations laid by the British … I hope the powers in Beijing will see it as a positive thing, that allowing Hong Kong to have some form of association with the Commonwealth will be a great benefit to Hong Kong."

The Commonwealth's member states have to sign up to a charter which commits them to 16 core values including democracy and human rights.

Member states also retain political and cultural ties and compete in the Commonwealth Games every four years.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Let HK rejoin the Commonwealth: UK lawmaker

Hong Kong should defintiely stay within the hand of British instead of Communist China.

mymak Nov 11th 20137:45am

Before everyone jumps in with the 'British Government Interference' lupsup, please remember that Long Hair would, when described in the overseas press, be called a 'Hong Kong Lawmaker'. I do not wish, though, to denigrate Mr. Rosindell. One crazy idea does not a Long Hair Banana thrower make.

shouken Nov 12th 20135:35pm

I think HK's success had more to do with its geo-political location and size than sound British governance, otherwise, India should also have become a shining example of progress. But India never became another HK, or Australia, or Canada. Their success was decided by local conditions and historical continencies, not by excellent British rule.

jd.salinger.3154 Nov 12th 20136:25pm

[Hong Kong's success] was built on foundations laid by the British..."
.
The British didn't build jack sh*t in Hong Kong, unless that hideous looking clock tower by the harbor is considered some kind of an architectural marvel, it clearly isn't. In fact, it is an eyesore. Most of the decent stuff people see today was built during the 80s and 90s after China implemented reforms.
.
Europe itself wasn't much until it adopted Confucius' meritocratic system during the Enlightenment. There wasn't anything the Hong Kong people couldn't have built on their own accord. The British was only there to enrich themselves while swindling the city's tax funds. People like Rosindell are an embarrassment to humanity's progress.

pslhk Nov 11th 201311:14am

What’s happened to the “foundations laid by the British” in
Belfast
Londonerry
Birmingham
Kampala
Nairobi
….

onedistrict Nov 11th 20139:45am

The past is the past, let's move on !

pslhk Nov 11th 20139:27am

Conflation, a typical trick in the British trove of hypocrisies
-
By connecting ex-local mercenaries' FULL british passport
to the ex-colony re-joining the british commonwealth
AR is telling retired sandbags:
“don’t be ridiculous”
-
“common wealth” means king and country
let mother England share your wealth

321manu Nov 11th 20132:42pm

The rejoin-Commonwealth bit is a non-starter. In fact, it is so far out there that Beijing might even spare us the usual "interference" song-and-dance just this one time.The passport bit is up to the Brits. It's their right to hand out passports to whomever they see fit. Just for ****-and-giggles, they should give one to CY Leung, assuming he doesn't already have a US or Canadian one.

John Adams Nov 11th 201312:03pm

If democracy votes in idiots like Rosindell then I'm not sure we need it here.Even Long Hair, bald Chan the other 'people power' extremists are not that stupidGo back to planet Mars where you obviously live, Mr Rosindell